What results from the latest edition of the CSR survey in practice – the barometer of the French-Polish Chamber of Commerce?
According to the latest edition of the CSR in practice survey – a barometer of the French-Polish Chamber of Commerce, the fight against climate change is the biggest challenge for Polish and the world, and more than half of companies declare activities in this area. ESG projects are implemented primarily for image reasons, but the expectations of clients and investors, as well as new regulations, such as those related to non-financial reporting, are becoming increasingly important. For 50% of companies, the key motivator is the need for social engagement and the desire to make a real difference.
CSR in practice – the barometer of the French-Polish Chamber of Commerce is the only cyclical survey on the area of corporate social responsibility conducted among companies and consumers for seven years. The latest results clearly show that the biggest challenge for both Polish and the world is climate change. The next places in the perspective of global challenges were the fight against hunger (39% of indications) and ensuring access to clean water and improving sanitation (37%). The challenges facing Poland are shaped differently. Among the areas requiring urgent action in our country, just after the fight against climate change, entrepreneurs indicate the need to provide clean and accessible energy (53% of indications), gender equality (45%) and good quality education (44%).
„This year, we asked companies which Sustainable Development Goals require the most urgent action. The priority both on a global and local scale is the climate, but the next places are definitely different. Global challenges relate primarily to the need to meet basic needs, such as access to water or the elimination of hunger. In Poland, because the scale of these problems is not so significant, companies focus on other priorities. More than half of the respondents declare action in the field of climate protection, followed by gender equality, economic growth and decent work, and good quality education. – says Mariusz Kielich, Communication Manager at the French-Polish Chamber of Commerce.
As in previous years, companies most often engage in activities addressed to their employees (81%). Among them, additional social benefits, such as private medical care, sports activities or gift vouchers, are in the first place. The next place is occupied by activities related to co-financing science or proposing additional glazing within the organization or outside it (84%), as well as the introduction of internal communication tools (75%). Diversity, which is one of the key challenges for business, is managed in 74% of organizations participating in the survey. The same number of respondents indicated that they are introducing solutions to reconcile work and personal life, including work from home or additional days off, which is the result of changes introduced by companies during the pandemic and continued. Only slightly less than half of the surveyed companies offer their employees employee volunteering programs.
Another group of stakeholders to which companies direct their activities are suppliers and local partners. Most often, companies introduce codes and rules of cooperation (63%), as well as actively and transparently communicate with them (61%). On the other hand, a smaller percentage of companies conduct training and educational activities for their business partners or check the actual implementation of the principles enshrined in the codes.
Activities addressed directly to customers are practiced among 72% of companies participating in the survey. Most often they concern the introduction of a wide range of communication channels, as well as care for conducting it in a transparent manner. Slightly more than half of the companies conduct regular social or ecological campaigns addressed to their clients, and the least indications concerned such areas as the introduction of facilitated complaint procedures or matching the offer or place of sale to people with disabilities or in a difficult situation (28% and 27% of indications, respectively).
71% of companies declare conducting activities in the area of environmental protection or addressed to local communities. Most often these are pro-ecological activities related to reducing the consumption of raw materials or conducting activities in the field of climate protection, as well as increasingly biodiversity (an increase of 16% in the last 4 years). Year by year, the involvement of companies in philanthropic activities decreased, although this year’s results show a certain disturbance of the trend (an increase of 11% compared to the previous year). This may be due to the strong involvement of business in supporting Ukraine after the outbreak of the war and donating money to charity.
This year’s survey has been expanded to include several questions about the involvement of companies in helping Ukraine and its inhabitants. 84% of the surveyed companies carried out activities for the benefit of refugees. Most often they concerned the transfer of material funds to the needy (83%), as well as money (69%). Many workers also hosted refugees in their homes and were offered shelter in buildings owned or rented by companies. 57% of the surveyed companies provided assistance to their employees from Ukraine. Most of these activities are continued by business to this day (55%). As the survey shows, additional activities for refugees were not an obstacle to the implementation of the planned strategy and activities in the area of CSR – 51% of respondents continued to carry out all planned projects, and 33% even introduced additional activities.
More than half of companies declare having a CSR strategy or at least a one- or two-year action plan. In addition, as many as 80% of management boards are involved to some extent in the development of activities in the area of corporate social responsibility.
However, companies that have separate CSR departments are still a minority (23%). Most often, actions are taken directly by the management or marketing, PR or HR departments. Every fourth company does not have a dedicated person to manage the ESG topic. This also translates into the issue of reporting. 43% of respondents are unable to indicate the benefits achieved by the company from CSR activities, and only 7% record measurable financial results. New directives obliging an increasing catalogue of companies to conduct reporting in the ESG area have been indicated as one of the main factors influencing the development of CSR in Poland. Currently, less than half of companies regularly report their activities, while 17% declare that they will start this process within 2 years. Budgets for CSR activities are growing every year, although these are not big changes. Most often, companies spend between PLN 10,000 and 100,000 per year, and companies whose budget exceeds PLN 1 million is 12% (almost twice as much as 4 years ago).
An integral part of the survey are the results of a survey conducted by Havas Media Group Polska on a sample of 1052 adult consumers on their awareness and expectations in the field of CSR activities. This year, we have also broadened the questions about knowledge of the Sustainable Development Goals. As it turns out, only 34% of respondents have not come across this concept before. For comparison, the term CSR is unknown to 2/3 of society. Previous editions of the survey have shown that environmental and social issues have become less relevant in the face of COVID-19. The current results are slowly reversing this trend, although they have not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels. 45% of consumers avoid buying products from companies that have a negative impact on the environment or society (compared to 55% before the pandemic), and 66% believe that companies are ethically obliged to operate without harming the environment (73% before the pandemic).
„This year there is a big change in the index regarding the impact on changes in the world. Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have observed an increase in indications of governments and politicians – this year it is particularly visible, which is certainly due to the war in Ukraine and the importance of states than citizens or brands as such. – says Anna Ostrowska, Insights Manager, Havas Media Group Poland.
The CSR survey in practice – a barometer of the French-Polish Chamber of Commerce was conducted among Polish and foreign companies operating in Poland in November 2022. 113 organizations took part in it. A complementary survey on consumers was conducted at the same time using the CAWI method on a sample of 1066 adult Poles by HAVAS MEDIA GROUP POLSKA.
The substantive partner of the study has traditionally been the Responsible Business Forum.
